]]>Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has given the nod to a US$2.5 billion seaport project in Ca Mau Province proposed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Mekong Delta province.

The province has been told to complete procedures for the Hon Khoai seaport project while the ministry will assist the province in appraising and approving the project as well as moving on to the next steps of the project to be implemented in the public-private partnership (PPP) format.
Ca Mau said Hon Khoai has been zoned as a national general port able to handle what are currently the world’s biggest seagoing vessels.

Earlier, Ca Mau asked the Prime Minister for approval of the Hon Khoai port and for offering a no-bid contract for Cong Ly Construction, Trading and Tourism Co. Ltd. to develop the project, VnEconomy reports.

The planned port would be located on Khoai Islet, around 17 kilometers off mainland Ca Mau Province and 42 kilometers from Nam Can Economic Zone. A breakwater, piers for vessels of up to 100,000 DWTs and tugboats, and a bridge connecting Sao Islet and the shore of the province would be built as part of the project.

The investor is expected to use its own funds to cover 15% of the US$2.5 billion needed for the project and borrow the remainder from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) to carry out the project in 2016-2020.

According to the government of Ca Mau, the port would be of great significance to development of Nam Can Economic Zone and to the nation’s security and defense when it is put into operation.

Ministry approves HCMC-Ca Mau waterway upgrade project
Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has issued a decision approving a plan to dredge and upgrade waterways between HCMC and the southernmost province of Ca Mau to facilitate cargo transport between the country’s southern economic center and the Mekong Delta region.

The ministry is pinning high hopes that development of inland waterways would help ease rising cargo transport on the road, particularly between HCMC and the Mekong Delta region.

Under the plan total cargo transport by different means would amount to 93.5 million tons by 2020, an average annual increase of 7.7% in 2016-2020. Of the total volume, 62.3 million tons of cargo, 66.83% of the total, would be handled by inland waterway, 25.3 million tons (27.1%) by road and 5.67 million tons (6.07%) by sea.

To realize the targets, the ministry will spend big on waterways between HCMC and Ca Mau to facilitate the operations of barges of more than 2,000 tons, upgrading Xa No Canal and the Dai Ngai-Bac Lieu-Gia Rai sea route, modernizing large river ports for containerized goods including Binh Long in An Giang Province, An Phuoc in Vinh Long province and Long Binh in HCMC, and building Cai Lay river port in Tien Giang Province.

Investments will also go to developing container vessels and improving the handling capacity of containerized cargo at river ports. Relevant agencies will carry out the second phase of an upgrade project to dredge and expand Cho Gao Canal to 80 meters for container barges to make their way up to river ports.

The ministry will put into use a sea route between the south-central coast province of Binh Thuan and Kien Giang Province and linking ports in HCMC, Tien Giang, Can Tho and Ca Mau. Vessels of over 1,000 DWTs in the initial time before ships of 2,000-4,000 DWTs are put into service on the route.

The Hau River will be dredged to enable vessels of 10,000-20,000 DWTs to operate to meet increasing demand of localities for cargo transport and export. The ministry will upgrade Quan Chanh Bo Waterway for vessels of 10,000-20,000 DWTs, Dinh An Waterways for vessels of 5,000-10,000 and the waterway via Bo De Estuary for 3,000-DWT ships.

The ministry will seek investors to develop Can Tho Port into a hub for the Mekong Delta region and a number of major ports including My Tho and Nam Can to handle 4,000-DWT vessels.

The Government has issued more incentives related to land rent, taxes, fees and bank loans for investors of ports, shipping lines, corporate cargo owners and maritime transport services providers. Enterprises are also encouraged to invest in container terminals and cargo handling equipment.
The Government has called for enterprises to develop ports along inland waterways and sea routes and cargo warehouses and distribution centers in Tien Giang, Can Tho, An Giang, Kien Giang, Ca Mau and HCMC.

The ministry will impose stricter controls on overloaded vehicles on roads and heavy fines on violators, particularly on HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway and national highways 1A, 50 and 61. These roads are expected to facilitate cargo transport to river ports in Can Tho, An Giang, Ca Mau and Kien Giang and major goods distribution centers in the region.

]]>Saigon Port Company Limited sold out 35.71 million shares bringing VND411.13 billion (US$18.83 million) in its initial public offering organized at the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange on Tuesday.

The sold shares account for 16.51 percent of the company’s chartered capital.
Thirty nine investors attended the auction session, including three organizations and 36 individuals.

The shares were offered at the starting price of VND11,500 per share, which increased to the highest price of VND22,500 in the session. Average price was 14 dong higher than the starting price.

Saigon Port is a 100 percent state-own company under the Vietnam National Shipping Lines. The port’s chartered capital will reach VND2,162 billion (US$99 million) after equitization with 64 percent state-capital.

The auction session for normal investors had been successful. Saigon Port would continue selling another 35.71 million shares to strategic investors, said the company’s representative.

]]>Tan Cang – Hiep Phuoc seaport inaugurated in HCM Cityhttp://www.vpa.org.vn/tan-cang-hiep-phuoc-seaport-inaugurated-in-hcm-city/
Sun, 28 May 2017 09:09:49 +0000http://vpaen.vn/?p=1012Tan Cang – Hiep Phuoc seaport, which is capable of handling 50,000-70,000 DWT ships, was inaugurated in Nha Be district, Ho Chi Minh City on May 19. Its construction, sprawling over 18.7ha, was divided into two phases at a total cost of 1.5 trillion VND (71.4 million USD). With a 420-metre-long pier and a 253-metre-long …

]]>Tan Cang – Hiep Phuoc seaport, which is capable of handling 50,000-70,000 DWT ships, was inaugurated in Nha Be district, Ho Chi Minh City on May 19.
Its construction, sprawling over 18.7ha, was divided into two phases at a total cost of 1.5 trillion VND (71.4 million USD).

With a 420-metre-long pier and a 253-metre-long dock for barges to handle 9 million tonnes of cargo per year, Tan Cang – Hiep Phuoc is projected to become a major trans-shipment port for goods from the southern industrial parks in Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta provinces, and serve as a key shipping hub for Asian goods.

It also takes advantage of the Soai Rap channel to save transportation time and cost rather than sailing through Long Tau channel

]]>Singapore company seeks to expand Vung Ang Porthttp://www.vpa.org.vn/singapore-company-seeks-to-expand-vung-ang-port/
Sun, 28 May 2017 09:07:43 +0000http://vpaen.vn/?p=1009Freight Link Capital based out of Singapore has submitted a US$114 million investment proposal to the Ministry of Transport to construct two additional wharfs at the Vung Ang Port area of the Ky Anh district in the central province of Ha Tinh. As proposed the wharfs would be operated by a 100% foreign owned entity. …

]]>Freight Link Capital based out of Singapore has submitted a US$114 million investment proposal to the Ministry of Transport to construct two additional wharfs at the Vung Ang Port area of the Ky Anh district in the central province of Ha Tinh.
As proposed the wharfs would be operated by a 100% foreign owned entity. The venture to alleviate the overcrowded port has already been given the green light by the management board of the Vung Ang Economic Zone.

Once constructed the two wharfs would span a total length of 500m capable of handling vessels of up to 50,000 DWT with the added capacity to service cargo and containers for not only the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Complex but the entire region.

Li Weimin, Freight Links Capital President said the two additional wharfs are needed to meet the future projected demand for unloading cargo, machinery and equipment and clear congestion due to increasing cargo volumes.

]]>Ca Mau approves nearly VND1.7 trillion to upgrade sea dykeshttp://www.vpa.org.vn/ca-mau-approves-nearly-vnd1-7-trillion-to-upgrade-sea-dykes/
Sun, 28 May 2017 09:06:22 +0000http://vpaen.vn/?p=1006The southern province of Ca Mau has approved a plan worth VND1.7 trillion (US$78.2 million) to upgrade the sea dykes along its west coast. The plan will be implemented over the next two years with VND650 billion (US$29.9 million) funded by a climate change response programme and VND782 billion (US$36 million) from the State budget. …

]]>The southern province of Ca Mau has approved a plan worth VND1.7 trillion (US$78.2 million) to upgrade the sea dykes along its west coast.

The plan will be implemented over the next two years with VND650 billion (US$29.9 million) funded by a climate change response programme and VND782 billion (US$36 million) from the State budget.

The rest will come from the local budget and will be used for site clearance compensations.

Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau People’s Committee Le Dung said this is an urgent project to counter rising sea levels, restore protection forests, and protect more than 26,000 coastal households and nearly 130,000 hectares of agriculture and aquaculture land.

The project will include upgrading five sections with a total length of 75.5 kilometres and construction of a new 21.8 kilometre dyke.

]]>Maiden call of 18,000 TEU container vessel at CMIT, celebrating the largest vessel ever to call at a Vietnamese porthttp://www.vpa.org.vn/maiden-call-of-18000-teu-container-vessel-at-cmit-celebrating-the-largest-vessel-ever-to-call-at-a-vietnamese-port/
Sun, 28 May 2017 09:03:57 +0000http://vpaen.vn/?p=1003Cai Mep, Baria Vung Tau, Vietnam On February 20, 2017 CMIT (Cai Mep International Terminal), a joint venture between Vinalines, Saigon Port and APM Terminals, received the trial call of the m/v Margrethe Maersk 194,000 DWT, the EEE- Class vessel of Maersk Line, in excess of 18,000 TEU capacity. She has been deployed as …

]]>Cai Mep, Baria Vung Tau, Vietnam On February 20, 2017 CMIT (Cai Mep International Terminal), a joint venture between Vinalines, Saigon Port and APM Terminals, received the trial call of the m/v Margrethe Maersk 194,000 DWT, the EEE- Class vessel of Maersk Line, in excess of 18,000 TEU capacity. She has been deployed as part of the direct service between Asia and Northern Europe within 2M alliance.
Through its capability in accommodating this vessel, CMIT confirms its own vision as well as that of the Cai Mep port complex, as set out by the Vietnamese Government. The arrival of the Margrethe Maersk is a major milestone for CMIT and for Vietnam towards this vision, as it demonstrates that the Terminal can serve as a regional transshipment hub for the Southeast Asian cargoes, particularly destined for the Vietnam/Northern Europe trade lane, said Robert Hambleton, General Director, CMIT

The Vietnamese Ministry of Transport, Vinamarine and the Vung Tau Port Authority have all played a crucial role in making a success of this 18,000 TEU vessel trial call. Collectively, the Ministry of Transport, Vinamarine, CMIT and Maersk Line together with other relevant stakeholders have created an unprecedentedly close collaboration, in an effort to make the Cai Mep deep water port become one of only a few ports in South East Asia, which is capable of accommodating the 18,000 TEU vessels. It follows that this call brings a distinctive opportunity for further development in Cai Mep, Nguyen Xuan Ky, CMIT Deputy General Director, revealed.

A welcome event to mark this trial call was organized by CMIT on that day; those in attendance included some of the most senior officials of the Ministry of transport, Vinamarine and the Local Province.

]]>The southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau is striving to become an international logistics hub – manned by world-class logistics services centres.

To realise the potential of its ports, Ba Ria-Vung Tau aims to become a world-class logistics hub

Seated on international marine routes, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has favourable conditions to develop seaports, port services, and a logistics sector that can handle increased shipping traffic. In light of expansion in trade and logistics services, Ba Ria-Vung Tau considers logistics to be a key industry for the years to come.
The province currently has 57 planned seaports – including 28 ports in use – with the registered investment capital totalled $2 billion, and an annual capacity of 98.9 million tonnes. In the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex, there are 35 port projects, of which 17 are operational, with a total annual capacity of 93 million tonnes, according to the provincial people’s committee.

In the last five years, the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex has attracted a higher number of large container vessels. Goods exported from Cai Mep-Thi Vai ports are shipped directly to the United States, Europe and to other countries and territories around the world via transit ports.
The complex handles 20 turn-arounds of 80,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT) vessels weekly, including an average of two vessels with loading capacities of 160,000DWT. Most of the container terminals at Cai Mep-Thi Vai have the investment capital of over VND27 trillion ($1.21 billion) each, with annual loading capacities of 6.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
Despite modern seaport systems, the cargo volume through the provincial ports has increased 16 per cent annually over the past five years. The local authorities said that they had not made the most efficient use of Cai Mep-Thi Vai mainly because of insufficient roads inside the port complex. Road 965 is the only route that connects to National Highway 51, and to roads leading to industrial parks near the complex.
To spur infrastructure development, Ba Ria-Vung Tau is seeking capital resources to construct Phuoc Hoa-Cai Mep road, new 991B road, as well as inter-port roads leading to Ben Luc-Long Thanh expressway and Nhon Trach industrial park of the neighbouring Dong Nai province. Construction of other routes, such as railways and Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway, are being fast-tracked to connect Cai Mep-Thi Vai with several neighbouring provinces.
In a recent meeting with the province’s leaders, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung emphasised the significance of Cai Mep-Thi Vai to Vietnam’s socio-economic development. He urged the Ministry of Transport and Ba Ria-Vung Tau to boost activities in Cai Mep-Thi Vai, by overcoming limitations of zoning, connectivity, and transport infrastructure.

Cai Mep-Thi Vai now handles vessels of up to 160,000DWT, so it has great potential to become a competitive international freight transit centre. To reach the target, the province needs to rev up efforts to enhance logistics services without delays at the port, Dung stressed.

Since the effectiveness of the port remains low, Ba Ria-Vung Tau is mobilising all necessary resources to stimulate the logistics hub’s development. The province is calling for investment in logistics and warehouse planning, completing infrastructural development, and improving customs procedures at Cai Mep-Thi Vai.

In addition, Ba Ria-Vung Tau is proritising the development of the 800 hectare Cai Mep Ha logistics service centre, which boasts a deep seaport with an area of about 100 hectares and a berth length of 1,800 metres. The specialised logistics centre will receive vessels of above 100,000DWT. The province is holding a contest to find ideas for a 1/200-scale zoning plan for the Cai Mep Ha logistics centre.
As outlined in a master zoning plan for south-east seaport development through 2020 with a vision towards 2030, Ba Ria-Vung Tau will be home to the national seaport complex and international gateway port. The output of cargo through the local ports is expected to reach around 101.6 million tonnes per year by 2020, and hit 133.2 million tonnes per year by 2025.
Source: VIR

]]>Quang Ninh seaport and industrial complex awaits licensedhttp://www.vpa.org.vn/quang-ninh-seaport-and-industrial-complex-awaits-licensed/
Sun, 28 May 2017 08:57:35 +0000http://vpaen.vn/?p=994The Ministry of Planning and Investment has proposed the prime minister to approve the investment plan of the VND6.96 trillion ($311.9 million) seaport and industrial park complex invested by a consortium of three foreign investors in Quang Yen town of the northern province of Quang Ninh. The consortium includes CDC International Corporation (CDC) from the …

]]>The Ministry of Planning and Investment has proposed the prime minister to approve the investment plan of the VND6.96 trillion ($311.9 million) seaport and industrial park complex invested by a consortium of three foreign investors in Quang Yen town of the northern province of Quang Ninh.
The consortium includes CDC International Corporation (CDC) from the Cayman Islands, Singaporean Middle Utilities Company, and Hong Kong’s Infra Asia Investment Company which is Belgian Rent-A-Port 94 per cent-owned company. They will establish a joint venture company with a chartered capital of VND1.04 trillion ($46.6 million), 70 per cent of which will be owned by CDC, while Middle East Utilities and Insfra Asia will hold 15 per cent each.
According to the plan, the investors will build an industrial park and a seaport system including 10 wharves and a 1,129 hectare logistics area. The construction will be implemented within 50 years and be divided into three phases. The first phase’s construction is expected to kick off in 2017 and be finished in 2021.
According to Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, the seaport and industrial park complex has a favourable position, which locates near Dinh Vu-Cat Hai Economic Zone and Cat Bi international airport in the northern port city of Haiphong, and be centre site in Halong-Uong Bi-Haiphong triangle economic zone, thus it has numerous potential for marine economic development combining with industrial sectors using seaport services.
According to the Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee, once the complex comes into operation, it will function as a high-tech seaport and industrial park area with synchronous infrastructure. It will creates approximately 110,000 jobs for local resident and contribute VND240 billion ($10.7 million) to the province’s budget per year.
The complex is expected to reach an average revenue of VND1.019 trillion ($45.6 million) per year with the net profit of VND389 billion ($17.4 million) per year.
Being a group with numerous experience in the construction sector, CDC developed numerous large-scale projects $175 million West Bay Complex, $420 million The St.Regis Doha Housing and Recreation project, both of which are in Doha, Qatar.
In Vietnam, it has begun implementing a ‘]trading service and logistics centre gateway port] project with the total investment capital of $2.2 million in Dinh Vu-Cat Hai Economic Zone. Covering more than one hectare in the zone, CDC’s project aims to develop office buildings and open storage for lease. After being granted the investment certificate on June 11, 2015, the project’s construction started in December 2015, four months earlier than planned, to ensure successful operation from January 2017.
Regarding the Rent-A-Port, the company has invested numerous projects in Vietnam. Notably, it developed 540 hectare Dinh Vu industrial park, which has attracted 64 projects with the total registered investment capital of $1.8 billion. Besides, it has been investing in the Haiphong International Gateway Port Industrial Park project worth VND5.147 trillion ($230.6 million).

The administration will write to the Ministry of Transport proposing limiting cargo throughput at the city’s ports to help the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex cope with undercapacity.
The administration’s deputy head Bui Thien Thu mentioned this plan at the Logistics Forum 2015 in HCMC last Friday.

At the forum, many enterprises bemoaned ports in the southern region, especially Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, are grappling with undercapacity while Cat Lai Port in HCMC’s District 2 always faces cargo backlogs, thus causing traffic congestion on the streets leading to the port.

Thu said the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex is operating at 15% capacity. He said the transport ministry has taken a slew of solutions including a pilotage reduction but the number of ships using the port complex has remained woefully low.

Thu attributed the situation to weak cooperation between provinces and the competition between HCMC and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province to lure cargo vessels to their ports.

To solve the problem, Thu said VMA will propose the ministry apply a throughput limit plan at HCMC’s ports to enable the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex to handle more cargo based on the experience in developing Laem Chabang Port in Thailand when the Thai government imposed a cargo volume ceiling on Bangkok Port. As a result, more shipping lines dispatched their vessels to Laem Chabang.

Thu said that a similar approach will be applied if the National Assembly approves draft amendments to the Maritime Code.

Saigon Newport Corporation (SNP) in May signed a contract to lease infrastructure facilities at Phu Huu Port to reduce cargo volume at Cat Lai Port.

To ease cargo congestion Cat Lai Port, the ministry has allowed SNP to build an inland container depot on over 11 hectares in Phu Thach Commune, Nhon Trach District of Dong Nai Province with a designed capacity of 150,000 TEUs per year.